Quick Links

This new Fine Cooking feature offers three different takes on one dish. Vote for your favorite by sendIng us a note by mall, fax, or e-mall; see p. 11 for addresses. reat Choose your favorite approach-seared on the stovetop, rubbed with salt, or butterflied COMPILED BY SARAH JAY out of the bag, season it, and roast until the heatsensitive timer popped up. It was about the easiest thing I could imagine, and it tasted just fine. But if you're like me, you want more than "just I fine"-a perfect roast chicken is definitely one of life's great pleasures. To help you get there, we asked three award-winning restaurant chefs how they roast their chickens. Whether you're striving for really juicy meat (even in the breast) or lots of supercrisp skin (even under the thighs) , or both, you'll find that one of their methods is for you. Try them all and let us know which one you like best. Daniel Boulud goes for golden-brown skin and a sweet-and-sour sauce. He trusses the bird with string (using a simple method shown on the opposite page), rubs it with butter, and browns it on all sides in a skillet before roasting. The trussing makes the bird more compact so it's easier to sear, and it also helps with the presentation. "Make sure the roasting pan is the right size," says Daniel. "If it's too deep, steam produced from the chicken will inhibit browning and crispness. If it's too large, the pan 52 was thirteen when I learned how to roast a chicken. Back then, all I did was slide the bird juices might scorch." And you'll need those juices for the sauce, made right in the roasting pan with honey, white wine, and cider vinegar. Tom Douglas rubs the chicken with salt to en- sure really juicy meat. This is a kind of dry-brining technique that adds moisture without the mess and hassle of a salt-water brine. Food scientist Shirley Corriher explains why: The salt rub draws water in the meat out to the skin, where the salt crystals dissolve into a mild brine. Eventually, this brine reenters the meat, adding moisture just as if the chicken had been soaked in a real brine. "You don't need to rinse the salt off before roasting," says Tom, "but do be careful if you're making gravy from the drippings because it might be too salty." Stephan Pyles butterflies the bird for faster cooking and to create lots of crisp skin. Before roasting, Stephan cuts away the backbone (easily done with poultry shears) , puts the chicken on a baking sheet, and presses it down so it lies flat. This neat trick, combined with a very hot oven (475°F) , does three things: it shaves about 20 minutes off the roasting time, it lets all the skin get crispy, and it makes carving a cinch. FINE COOKING